Incubator humidifier



April 15, 1924. 1,490,682

A. T. s'rrr'r INCUBATOR HUMIDIFIER Filed Feb. 1. 1922 [N VEN T OR.

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ALBERT T. STIT'JJ, F CEDARHURST, NEW YORK.

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Application filed February 1, 1922. Serial No. 533,209.

To atZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, ALnEnr T. Srrrr, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cedarhurst, in the county of Nassau and a State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful incubator Humidifier, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is a humidifier for incubators and the object of the invention is to to provide an etiicient, thoroughly reliable and durable construction capable of use in practically all makes and styles of incubators and adapted for adjustment to enable accurate regulation of the amount of moisture supplied. incubators of diiferent sizes and diiferent makes require the production of difierent amounts of moisture and, moreover, at the start of the hatch, less moisture is required than is later necessary as so time passes. The humidifier of the present invention is capable of ready adjustment to give just the desired amount of moisture necessary under all conditions.

A. further feature of the invention resides in the fact that my hmnidifier is so constructed that it may be either stood on an egg tray or suspended within the incubator. it is thereby adapted for use in incubators equipped with automatic egg turning devices as well as in incubators not so equipped.

A further important feature of the invention is inherent inthe fact that water is fed to the evaporating surface or member entirely by capillary attraction and this member is so supported that no dripping of water upon the eggs can result. To this end, the evaporating member is preferably supported in a substantially horizontal position, thereby minimizing the head room required for theinstallation of the device and also enabling high efficiency in capillary supply.

in one of its preferred forms, the invention embodies a liquid reservoir which may. for the salts of convenience, consist of a glass jar on which is mounted a supporting member carrying the forward ends of two side bars. The rear ends of the side bars are secured to a second supporting member which may be provided with telescoping legs serving to maintain the rear supporting member at the desired elevation. The side bars, which are in this manner maintained parallel with one another, have castellated upper edges forming a succession of juxtaposed notches adapted to receive the opposite ends of a square axle or spindle. The evaporating member may conveniently be made of some fabric but preferably is in the form of thin felt. One end of this felt strip is secured to the axle and the other end hangs over the front supporting member and de pends into the water adapted to be contained in the jar. That portion of the strip which extends into the jar is preferably of decreased width and that portion of the strip which extends over the front supporting member is provided with perforations or grommets adapted to engage with pins projecting upwardly from the supporting member. The after end of the strip is adapted to be wound upon the axle and the axle thereupon dropped into the notches of the side bars so as to maintain that portion of the strip between the axle and the front supporting member in a taut condition. By positioning the axle in differentnotches of the side bars, greater or lesser areas of the strip are exposed and in this manner the evaporating area may be regulated. Hangers or bales are preferably associated with the jar and with the after end of the device so that it may be suspended, if desired.

Features of the invention, other than those adverted to, will be apparent from the iereinafter detailed description and claims, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

The accompanying drawings illustrate one practical embodiment of the invention, but the construction therein shown is to be understood as illustrative, only, and not as defining the limits of the invention.

Figure 1 is a perspective View showing the device of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a section on the line 2--2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is aperspective view of asupporting bracket or hanger employed in the construction of Figure 1, and

Figure is a perspective view of one end of the front sup-porting member.

Referring to the drawings, 5 designates a receptacle adapted to contain water and, in the interest of convenience and economy, this receptacle may constitute the wellknown jar of the Mason type. For relatively small incubators, a half-pint jar may be employed, while for large incubators, a pint jar may be used. in Figure 3 I have shown a hanger bent from wire and embodying two hooks 6, a wire loop 7, and two parallel shanks 8. This hanger or bracket is adapted to be associated with the jar 5 to hook the hooks 6 over the upper edge thereof after the manner shown in Figure 1, wherein it will be seen that the loop 7 will overlie the side of the jar and hold the bracket in such position that the shanks 8 will be maintained in horizontal, parallel relation, wherein they support and carry a wooden front support 9 into which said shanks are driven. The front support 9 is described as made of wood but, in practice, metal may be employed, if desired, and this support may be mounted on the jar in other ways than that described.

Positioned in parallel relation to the front support 9 is a rear support 10 spaced from the front support by side bars 11. These side bars are preferably made of metal and may be conveniently secured to the rear support by constructing the rear support of wood and providing the rear end of each side bar with sharp prongs 12 adapted to be driven into said rear support. The forward end of each side bar is provided with a hook at its forward end which is adapted to hook over and engage with the cut out portion 13 at each end of the front support 9 for the purpose of mounting the side bars 11 in substantially parallel relation. The front support 9 will be maintained at the desired distance from the surface on which the jar 5 is resting by the jar itself and telescoping legs 14 may be associated with the rear support 10 to maintain said support at the desired elevation. The legs 14 are made telescoping in order to permit of the use of either a pint or a quart jar and to obtain proper adjustment within lesser limits. The upper edge of each of the side bars 11 is caste'll'ated to provide a succession of angular notches 15 in which the opposite ends of a square axle iii are adapted to be supported. A web or sheet of felt or wick 17 is secured at one of its ends to the axle 16 and is adapted to be rolled upon said axle to a greater or lesser extent for the purpose hereinafter more fully described. The wick 17 is provided intermediate its ends with a series of transverse holes or grommets 18 which may be passed over pins 19 driven into the upper edge of the front support 9, as best shown in Figure 2,'and that portion of the wick which extends forwardly of the front support is of decreased width and depends into the water contained in the jar 5. With this construction it will be apparent that water rising by capillary attraction from that portion of the wick submerged in the water in the jar will permeate the entire Wick, a greater or lesser evaporating surface of which may be exposed by winding or unwinding the rear portion of the wick from the axle 16. It will be understood, however, that the notches 15 of the side bars are so spaced apart that, when the wick is wrapped tightly about the axle, the exposed portion of the wick may be drawn taut and the axle caused to enter juxtaposed notches, whereby the exposed portion of the wick will be maintained at all times in taut condition.

It is desirable that the exposed portion of the wick occupy at all times a substantially horizontal position and to this end the side bars preferably slope slightly upward in a forward direction so that when the wick is wound up for a considerable extent and the roll of the wick about the axle becomes large, it will not depress the rear or exposed portion of the wick and cause the dripping of water therefrom. This feature of the invention is graphically shown in the drawings by the illustration of the wick almost entirely rolled up as shown in dotted lines in Figure 1 at 20. With this construction the exposed portion of the wick will always be horizontal and dripping at the rear end thereof will not result.

The construction as thus far described is complete and may be efficiently employed in all instances where it is desired to stand the device on an egg tray or other flat surface. In many incubators, however, it is desirable to suspend the humidifier and, accordingly, I preferably associate a bale 21 with the jar 5 and a bale 22 with the rear end of the device so that the device may be supported from overhead.

In the foregoing specification I have set forth in detail thepreferred practical embodiment of the invention but I am aware that details of construction may be modi fied through the substitution of equivalents without departing from the invention which is broadly novel as is commensurate with the appended claims.

Having thus fully described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. An incubator humidifier embodying a receptacle adapted to contain water, a supporting member mounted on said receptacle, a second supporting member spaced therefrom, notched elements connecting said members and forming a support for a spindle, a wick extending from within the receptacle to ancL wound about the spindle, means for maintaining the supporting member, which is not supported on the receptacle,

incense at the desired elevation, and means for anchorin the wick to the supporting member carrie by the receptacle, whereby a portion of the wick may be wrapped tightly about the spindle and the spindle thereupon brought into engagement with the notches of the notched members for the purpose of maintaining the effective evaporating portion of the wick in taut condition.

2. An incubator humidifier embodyinga receptacle adapted to contain water, a frame, one end of which is en ported on the receptacle, and the other on; of which is support ed independently of the receptacle, a wick extending longitudinally of the frame and having one end thereof depending into the receptacle, and a spindle about which the other end of the wick is wrapped, the sides of the frame being formed to engage the spindle in such manner as to preclude rotation thereof so that the eflective evapor ating portion of the wick may be maintained in taut condition.

3. An incubator humidifier embodying a frame, means for supporting the frame in substantially horizontal position, a wick secured intermediate its ends to one end of the frame, one end of the wick being adapted to depend into a pool of water, and the other end of the wick being wound upon a spindle, and means, spaced along the sides of the frame, for engaging the opposite ends of the spindle at difierent points longitudinally of the frame, whereby the wick may be partially wrapped upon the spindle and the spindle thereupon brought into engagement with the retaining means on the sides of the frame to maintain the efiective evaporating portion of the wick in substantially taut horizontal condition.

4:. An incubator humidifier embodying a substantially rectangular frame supported in a substantially horizontal position, and the sides of which frame are castellated, a spindle having square ends, which ends are adapted to engage with the castellations of the frame to support the spindle against rotation on the frame, a wick, secured at one end to the spindle, extending longitudinally of the frame and over one end thereof, and adapted to depend into a pool of water, said wick being secured to the end of the frame over which it extends, whereby the wick may be rolled on the spindle, drawn taut, and the spindle thereupon engaged with the castellations of the frame to maintain the effective evaporating portion of the wick in substantially horizontal taut condition.

5. An incubator humidifier embodying a frame, a wick secured to one end of the frame, a spindle about which a portion of the wick is wrapped, means for securing the spindle against rotation at different points longitudinally of the frame, wher by a portion of the wick may be rolled upon the spindle the spindle thereupon engaged with the frame to maintain that portion of the wick between the spindle and the end of the frame in taut condition, and means for supplying water to the wick.

6. An incubator humidifier embodying a receptacle adapted to contain water, a substantially rectangular frame, one end of which is supported on the receptacle, telescoping legs for supporting the other end of the receptacle and adjustable to permit of leveling of the frame into a substantially horizontal position, both sides of the frame being castellated, a wick, detachably secured to the end of the frame, which is supported by the receptacle, a square spindle adapted to be supported transversely of the frame in the castellations, one end of the wick being roundabout the spindle, and the other end of the wick depending into the receptacle, whereby the wick may be wound or unwound to expose a lesser or greater area of the wick between the roll and the end of the frame to which it is at tached, and the exposed portion of said wick thereupon pulled taut and the spindle engaged with the castellations to maintain said portion of the wick in taut condition.

7. An incubator humidifier embodying a receptacle adapted to contain water, a sub stantially rectangular frame, one end of which is supported on the receptacle, telescoping legs for supporting the other end of the receptacle and adjustable to permit of leveling of the frame into a substantially horizontal position, both sides of the frame being castellated, a wick, detachably secured to the end of the frame, which is support ed by the receptacle, a square spindle adapted to be supported transversely of the frame in the castellations, one end of the wick being wound about the spindle, and the other end of the wick depending into the receptaole, whereby the wick may be wound or unwound to expose a lesser or greater areaof the wick between the roll and the end of the frame to which it is attached, and the exposed portion of said wick thereupon pulled taut and the spindle engaged with the oastellations to maintain said portion of the wick in taut condition, said adjustable legs serving to permit a leveling of the exposed portion of the wick so that dripping of water therefrom will not occur.

8. An incubator humidifier embodying a receptacle adapted to contain water, a frame supported in substantially horizontal position adjacent the receptacle, and the sides of which frame are provided with castellations, the bases of which graduate upwardly in a direction toward the receptacle, a spindle adapted to be supported in said castellotions, and e Wick Wrapped about the spinie, extending to the end of the frame, and depending over the end of the frame into the receptacle, whereby Water is fed $0 the Wick solely by capillary attraction, the grad uated bases of the oastelletions ser' ing to maintain the effective evaporating portion meoeee of the Win}: in horizontal position, irrespective of the amount of the Wick Wrapped about the spindle so teat dripping of ater from the Wick 5 ob ted. In testimony who oof- I foregoing s seoifieetion.

ALBERT STI 

